Pennsylvania officials praise “critical” $375M investment for affordable housing in 2022-23 budget

Pennsylvania has invested $375 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to address the affordable housing crisis.

The investments are contained in the 2022-23 budget. Funding will be awarded through three programs in a competitive bid process.

The Development Cost Relief program will receive $150 million. The program helps offset higher development costs caused by the pandemic for affordable multifamily rental properties.

The Whole-Home Repair program will receive $125 million. The program provides loan forgiveness to small landlords and homeowners for home repairs that address habitability concerns, improve energy or water efficiency, or make units accessible for individuals with disabilities.

The Affordable Housing Construction program will receive $100 million. The program provides grants for the development of affordable housing units. This includes preserving existing affordable housing for low-income tenants, rehabilitating existing properties into affordable housing, or constructing new units.

Gov. Tom Wolf, members of the General Assembly, housing advocates, and stakeholders met in Philadelphia last week to discuss the investment.

“Safe, affordable housing is essential for families, for our communities, and for our commonwealth,” Wolf said. “We made a transformative investment in housing in Pennsylvania using federal American Rescue Plan Act funding which is exactly why that money was given to states – to help our neighbors – and that’s exactly what we are going to do.”